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BebiF1
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It was 9:30 when the Piaggio P180, the Piaggio plane that bears the Prancing Horse symbol, touched down at Baccarini airport in Grosseto. On board was Michael Schumacher, ready to face a historical challenge in the form of a duel between his F2003-GA and a Eurofighter Typhoon.
Under broody skies, Michael Schumacher climbed aboard the F2003-GA for the shootout with the jewel in the airforce crown. Three races were planned: the first, over a 600-metre distance that favoured the swift acceleration of the single-seater, saw the F2003-GA break the tape first, touching 294km/h, in 9.4 versus 9.6 of the jet. The second duel was over 1200 metres in which the Eurofighter showed the single-seater a clean pair of heels and sped away with the win in 14.2 versus 16.7.
The F2003-GA reached 308 km/h. The third, decisive, challenge was fought out over 900 metres and was a tight affair. The Eurofighter just scraped home, two tenths ahead of the F2003-GA (13 seconds versus 13.2). On the wet surface that took away some of the grip from the tyres, Michael Schumacher reached 305km/h.
‘The best race was the first’, joked Michael. ‘If it weren’t for the rain we would have had more grip, but, in any case, the result was not important in this race! It was fun watching the plane take off from where I was sitting. From a technical point of view, the start was like a normal grand prix; if you take into account the difference in power between an aeroplane and the single-seater, these results could only have been expected. But it was a great event and a unique challenge. I hope the fans had as much fun as we all did!’
I wish i new how to post images... but go to www.f1-live.com for them
Under broody skies, Michael Schumacher climbed aboard the F2003-GA for the shootout with the jewel in the airforce crown. Three races were planned: the first, over a 600-metre distance that favoured the swift acceleration of the single-seater, saw the F2003-GA break the tape first, touching 294km/h, in 9.4 versus 9.6 of the jet. The second duel was over 1200 metres in which the Eurofighter showed the single-seater a clean pair of heels and sped away with the win in 14.2 versus 16.7.
The F2003-GA reached 308 km/h. The third, decisive, challenge was fought out over 900 metres and was a tight affair. The Eurofighter just scraped home, two tenths ahead of the F2003-GA (13 seconds versus 13.2). On the wet surface that took away some of the grip from the tyres, Michael Schumacher reached 305km/h.
‘The best race was the first’, joked Michael. ‘If it weren’t for the rain we would have had more grip, but, in any case, the result was not important in this race! It was fun watching the plane take off from where I was sitting. From a technical point of view, the start was like a normal grand prix; if you take into account the difference in power between an aeroplane and the single-seater, these results could only have been expected. But it was a great event and a unique challenge. I hope the fans had as much fun as we all did!’
I wish i new how to post images... but go to www.f1-live.com for them
